Chris, from Benton, Newcastle, one fifth of the group formed by rejects from the ITV show Popstars: The Rivals, revealed Le Bon had even dished out advice on how to make their version, which was released on Monday, sound even better.

And in the middle of a busy schedule promoting the track, Chris, a former ballroom champion, will be donning his dancing shoes once more for an appearance on the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing tonight.

Speaking from his London studio, 22-year-old Chris, said: "We've been singing Wild Boys since last year and it's always gone down well with the crowds at gigs across the country.

"So we decided to release it this summer because it's such an uplifting track. Simon Le Bon heard what we were doing and got in touch.

"He recommended that we sang it in a different key as the original was sung in a really difficult key. So we changed it round and it sounded loads better."

Wild Boys is the lads' third single, and Chris is hoping for a better chart position than their previous hit, Love Revolution, which failed to reach the top ten.

"We went top ten with the first single Hold On Me which was a fantastic feeling. We'd love to get back into the top ten with Wild Boys."

NFormer Gosforth High School pupil Chris will be appearing on Strictly Come Dancing on BBC3. Catch him dancing and Phixx singing tonight at 8.30pm